Strengthening Bangladesh's Public Service Commission
Bangladesh's Public Service Commission (PSC) is a constitutionally mandated custodian of merit-based recruitment to the civil service. In practice, however, it is perceived to be a weak organization that has not always well-managed the recruit...
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| Format: | Other Public Sector Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/01/16259460/strengthening-bangladeshs-public-service-commission http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12396 |
| Summary: | Bangladesh's Public Service
Commission (PSC) is a constitutionally mandated custodian of
merit-based recruitment to the civil service. In practice,
however, it is perceived to be a weak organization that has
not always well-managed the recruitment process. Since the
1990s the media has reported politicized appointment of its
members. Recently there have been allegations of examination
irregularities, including leakage of question papers of the
civil service examinations. The management of the PSC and
its role in civil service recruitment has departed from
comparative administrative practice. This note argues that
the PSC's independence from micromanagement by the
executive, and its improved management of the civil service
examination are critical for its credibility to uphold the
merit principle. It lists short- and medium-term actions
that could help in restoring the PSC's intended role
and functions. PSCs are common in administrative traditions
where the appointed executive is meant to be permanent,
politically neutral and unaligned to any particular
political party or group of elected officials. A PSC forms a
critical piece of the public sector's good governance
framework by providing a check and balance between the
government's interest and its employee's
interests. In recruitment, which is an important element of
civil service management, the PSC protects the
government's interest by selecting the best among
available candidates for a particular position. |
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